Brasilia, Sep 12 (Prensa Latina) - Brazil´s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva starts Monday a two-day visit to Guatemala responding an invitation by his counterpart Oscar Berger, and then he will fly up north to the United Nations.Lula´s visit to Guatemala is linked to two main issues of his foreign policy: boost the Latin American integration and fight poverty in the world.

On Monday, Lula will be signing an understanding memorandum to establish permanent political consultations between both countries and attend the Latin American Conference on Starvation and Poverty, supported by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Program. On Tuesday, the Brazilian president will meet with top leaders of the Central American Integration System (SICA).

Lula is promoting in SICA what he has been doing with the Caribbean Community: free trade agreements with MERCOSUR and cooperation programs such as the ones Brazil currently has in effect with the Andean Community. Lula will chair a meeting with Brazilian and Central American entrepreneurs, in which he will tackle business opportunities, sign protocols on technical cooperation to produce ethanol, fight AIDS and floriculture. On Wednesday, the Brazilian statesman will travel to New York to address the UN General Assembly opening sessions, which is usually opened by Brazil.

At the UN, the head of state will also meet with presidents or representatives from France, Spain, Germany, Chile and Algeria to analyze the course of initiatives proposed by him, also co-sponsored by these countries to fight starvation in the world. This year, Lula will also visit Spain, Portugal, Russia, Great Britain and Uruguay, following an active foreign policy that has already took him 72 countries, most of them in Latin America, Africa, Middle East and Asia, during his 32 months of administration.